1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel steroid compounds.
2. Description of the Background Art
Steroid compounds are very important drugs which are essential for the treatment and the cure of skin diseases and allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma, and rheumatism, etc. They are widely applicable to all allergic and inflammatory diseases, including, for example, contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema nummulare, lichen simplex chronicus Vidal, housewive's eczema, prurigo, drug eruption, toxicodermia, psoriasis, pustulosis palmaris et plantaris, lichen planus, lichen nitidus, pityriasis rubra pilaris, pityriasis rosea Gibert, erythema-group, erythroderma, discoid lupus erythematosus, pemphigus, pemphigoid, Duhring dermatitis herpetiformis, alopecia areata, vitiligo vulgaris, sarcoidosis, keloid, hypertrophic scar, hypoadrenalism, rheumatism, bronchial asthma, ulcerous intestinitis, allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and the like.
Many of the patients to whom these steroid compounds are to be administered are those suffering from intractable inflammation, allergic diseases, or rheumatism, requiring the treatment in wide and various parts of the body extending over a long period of time. In spite of doctor's efforts in designing and advising the manner in which the steroid drugs are administered, e.g. encapsulation, so as to prevent the side effects of the drug, the problem of side effects remains still to be solved. Such side effects include, for example, localized ones, e.g. dermal atrophy, steroid acne, steroid rosacea, depigmentation, etc., as well as those systemic, extending over the whole body of the patient, e.g. cushingoid signs, infant hypoevolutism, infectious diseases, osteoporosis, etc. in the internal medicine.
Steroid compounds substituted by acylthio groups derived from thiol carboxylic acid are reported to decrease the risks of the side effects (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) Nos. 79399/1980, 26899/1983, 48999/1985, 36273/1976, etc.). These compounds, however, are not always satisfactory in their rather weak pharmacological activity and insufficient effects in reducing the side effects.
Development of a steroid compound is therefore awaited which possesses pharmacological activity strong enough to permit fast cure of the intractable inflammation, allergic diseases, or rheumatism without side effects.